Demons, devil-helpers,
lupines, ghosts, and disturbed spirits are just some of the dark forces
that have breached into the physical universe and wreaked havoc upon
this earth. Fortunately, their vengeance is squelched by Earth's elite
defenders  an organization known as The Legacy  which has
existed throughout the centuries, constantly vigilant of any supernatural
disturbances throughout the world. After three successful seasons of
battling the universe's darkness on Showtime cable, members of The Legacy
will continue their adventures next year on the Sci-Fi Channel.

POLTERGEIST: THE
LEGACY Trilogy Entertainment's sister series to THE OUTER LIMITS opened
its third year on Showtime with a major confrontation of an ancient,
immortal evil that walks through the centuries. In the two-hour season
opener "Darkness Falls," we witnessed The Legacy's confrontation with
those black, bloodsucking creatures of the night  vampires! Written
by former FOREVER KNIGHT writer and editor Michael Sadowski, "Darkness
Falls" was POLTERGEIST'S second en counter with vampires, after a skirmish
with one of their brood in the first season's finale, "A Traitor Among
Us."

Noted series co-producer
and "Darkness Falls" director Michael Robison, "When you ask 'What is
the show is about?' Different people have different takes on it. Some
say 'We're making ghost stories!' Others say 'No, we're doing stories
about demons!' and yet others say, 'No, we're just doing stories about
the dark side and tortured souls ' The show is so many things to different
people. We can do all of them. Vampires was just one of those things
that was getting pitched lots."

Since 1995, faithful
television audiences who tuned in Showtime cable on Friday nights after
THE OUTER LIMITS (and in syndication from various independent TV stations
across the country), have come to intimately know the lives of the stalwart
Dr. Derek Rayne (Derek de Lint) and his dedicated companions, Alex Moreau
(Robbi Chong), Nick Boyle (Martin Cummins) and Dr. Rachel Corrigan (Helen
Shaver). Two seasons worth of fantastic, supernatural battles often
cost its members deep physical and emotional scars. The Legacy mansion
off the coast of San Francisco, at times, almost seemed to be a lightning
rod for evil in the universe.

Co-executive producer
Garner Simmons explained that the first season was a difficult startup
for all of the creative technicians on the show. It was a time when
they were literally trying to find and build characters. "What we discovered
was that in having five characters, one of which was a Catholic priest,
we realized that if we kept the pnest, then in order to make the stories
work, we have to develop Catholic stories or Catholic elements to each
story because his function doesn't play into a lot of what the series
tries to do," said Simmons "It was easier, basically, to pull the character
out. It doesn't mean he isn't needed; just use him on an irregular basis.
"

For these reasons,
young actor Patrick Fitzgerald only appeared occasionally as Father
Philip Callahan throughout the first two seasons. "It was purely a matter
of practical considerations. What it comes down to is you have 45 minutes
to tell a story," said Simmons.

Although Michael
Robison is currently POLTERGEIST'S co-producer and occasional director,
he made his name as a film editor. He was responsible for editing the
OUTER LIMITS series premiere "Sandkings" which also stars Helen Shaver.
In fact, Robison built his ties with POLTERGEIST when director Stuart
Gillard, with whom he worked with on "Sandkings," also directed POLTERGEIST'S
two-hour premiere episode. Grabbing a chance to work with Gillard again,
Robison entered the Legacy's world with editing of POLTERGEIST'S pilot.

With extensive
credits in editing features, series, mini-series, and movies for television,
Robison has slowly climbed the ladder to directing features (DEADLY
SINS with Alyssa Milano), pilots (TRUE STORIES for Spelling Entertainment)
and TV series (REBOOT, SWEATING BULLETS, 21 JUMP STREET and THE HITCHHIKER).

To prepare to direct
"Darkness Falls," POLTERGEIST'S third season two-parter, Robison sat
down for a vampiric movie marathon. Over the last 75 years an estimated
189 vampire films have been filmed beginning with NOSFERATU in 1922,
the first adaptation of Bram Stoker's DRACULA. Robison found his greatest
inspiration in two contemporary treatments Joel Shumacher's THE LOST
BOYS (1987) and Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK (1987).

Noted Robison,
"After watching 15 vampire movies [I thought], 'Gee, this [POLTERGEIST]
story is better than most of them'' NEAR DARK had so many great elements
in it, even though a lot of the show didn't work. We borrowed especially
from NEAR DARK in terms of how we kill off our vampires."

Robison praised
series regular Robbi Chong for her performance in the two episodes.
"Robbi Chong was right up for it. She did an extraordinary job. We'd
hoped to work together last year on a show that featured her sister
[Rae Dawn], ["Spirit Thief] but they switched directors, so when this
one came... we came to be in synch with what we wanted to do and I was
surprised how enthusiastic all the actors and the crew were about jumping
into a vampire show.

"The crew wanted
to volunteer to be extras in it instead of do their job. You know, turn
down the $20/hour props job and be the $6/hour stand-in. I realized,
'Geez, I would never be that big of a vampire fan... ' but I started
to see what everyone was enthusiastic about. And we were just coming
up on Halloween so everyone was in the mood. A lot of sexuality comes
out of it. It's an interesting area that has a lot of melodramatic situations.
[Other filmmakers] over the years have learned to button down and keep
really simple. Because if everyone is flying around, turning into bats,
it's going to look really silly. But it seems to really bring out a
lot of dark parts in people's characters."

Most memorable
for Robison in filming these two episodes, were the seductive moments
when the vampires bite. In one crucial scene, Alex, who's already been
bitten by a vampire, attempts to seduce and recruit her friend Nick
Boyle. Robison explained that the scenes were initially rehearsed without
and later with the false fanged teeth as well as blood. "That state
of transformation, of change, threat and danger, whenever we were doing
those kinds of scenes, it keeps everyone on edge and they seemed to
have most fun with." Hilariously, in one moment during the shoot, Chong's
fake fangs popped off, fell and cracked in two. Fortunately, a spare
set was standing by.

Other fun moments
in the filming of "Darkness Falls" were late night location shooting.
"We were simulating some flying sequences of the Justine character swooping
down," noted Robison. "The crane swoops down in her point of view flying
down on Derek. That was a fun night. We went down to Stanley Park and
Derek's out there with his spear gun with a wooden stake, looking to
shoot a vampire out in the woods. When he looks up, boom, we're flying
down the crane. And we shoot a reverse of her and it looks like she's
smashing down onto him. A 20-year old actress dressed in black lands
on Derek deLint! It's dramatic, it's campy and melodramatic, at the
same time it seems to be highly entertaining! Over the top! It's a genre
like HALLOWEEN where you can afford to dress up. You can afford to be
a little melodramatic and still do a great show."

According to co-executive
producer Garner Simmons, "I think this is a story that will surprise
a lot of people. It's really an extraordinary story." He went on to
say that the producers' goals in the currently airing third season are
to focus with greater depth into the lives of our intrepid characters.

"Basically, we've
done a show that's unlike most shows on television," said Simmons. "It's
highly romantic, fairly gothic. It's an attempt to do television in
a way that normally isn't done. This has a 19th century quality to it.
The characters exist in a level which is intellectually interesting
and challenging at the same time we want to get inside those characters
and what makes them tick. It allows the audience to plug into the stories
on an emotional level. As we drive into the third season, our attempt
will be to do more and more character- driven stories. If you look at
the problems for the people who do this kind of thing, it's part of
their daily life. It's a kind of loyal commitment they made and [we
see] how it interfaces and interferes with the lives they're trying
to lead."

Third season shows
involved a teacher and a student, Green Beret soldiers and Rachel Corrigan
fell spell to an evil spirit. Noted Robison of the new direction, "It
seems to be in response to the audience and the studio creatives down
at L.A., 'Let's get some more character- driven stories!' We're killing
ourselves with all this money on these [special effects] gag shows.
And sometimes you know what? The audience sits there and they go, 'HUH?'
Everyone in the production spends a lot of time and money for all those
fantastic [special effects] shots, but yet all the audience yearns for
is those really compelling stories that puts our characters right at
the center of [the spectacle] rather than just watch and be carried
along by guest stars."

The third season
saw two cast-members directing episodes. Actor Martin Cummins made his
directing debut with "Irish Jug" while actress Helen Shaver stood behind
the cameras and contributed skills honed from an OUTER LIMITS episode
she directed during that series' third season, "Last Supper."

A new face appeared
on the doorsteps of the Legacy mansion. A young Canadian actress, Kristin
Lehman, joined the show as Kristin Adams in a recurring role. Lehman
filled a void left by Emmy- winning actor Daniel J. Travanti, who played
Legacy leader William Sloan, who paid the ultimate price in his battle
against evil in last years' episode "Trapped." "She comes to this House
from the Boston House," remarked Simmons. "She's a bit mysterious. She's
going to be an interesting character and we'll see what develops over
the course of the year. We think this is a way to grow. As she interfaces
with each of the [cast] characters, we'll get a chance to see other
sides of them as well."

Lehman is a Canadian
dramatic actress who has frequent television appearances. She's had
guest roles in THE OUTER LIMITS, PSI FACTOR, FOREVER KNIGHT, and a recent
EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT. She's also had leads in the films DINNER AT FRED'S
and HEMOGLOBIN.

Revealing his perspective
of the series' growth, co- producer Robison remarked, "I think there
was a lot of great episodes and what we find is we're always trying
to balance what we think is a great episode and what the audience thinks
is a great episode. We're always very surprised.

"The stories used
to be a lot more incomplete than they are right now. A lot more sizzle
and dazzle and they sort of started off and they just didn't make sense
when you got to the end. A lot of the shows in the first season there
were a lot of ghosts and, 'Gee whiz, we ought to check it out!"'

But in the currently
airing third season, Robison noted that examination of the consequences
will be addressed, "There's a lot of more soul-searching about what
some of these things mean.

"Sometimes in POLTERGEIST,
with the special effects, you can't even see the characters. They're
sort of toning it down. Sometimes the genre gets a little too melodramatic.
One writer was often fond of saying, 'We're making drama around here,
not melodrama!' That's continually the line.

"And it's very
difficult for actors and that comes into what I do. They get into these
hysterical situations and sometimes is it laughable or is it, 'Oh my
god! This is unbelievable! It's a torture situation, I'm faced with
an evil spear and a dark presence. '

"But now, there's
a core following because the writers have gotten the characters they're
writing for and what the relationships are. I think there's an audience
that follows the show because the characters do make sense. To them,
our strongest shows are where our male leads are doing something heroic.
Our female guest stars [also] do really well. Helen Shaver, when she's
featured, those shows do really well."

Robison noted that
cast and crew returned to the show third season with renewed enthusiasm.
As anyone who's been in the business knows, participating in the production
of a one-hour dramatic television series requires the highest personal
commitment.

"The cast is in
good shape. When you start a season, usually everyone acts like they've
come back from summer break," grinned Robison. "In show business it's
great to come back to a job, you know? You finish a job, you ask, 'Oh,
what am I doing the rest of my life? I really don't know!' You come
back with a lot of renewed enthusiasm and goals.

"I think Helen
Shaver, for instance, is expanding her directing career. That's why
it seems she's not in the episodes as much. I think it's fair to say
that Martin Cummins and Robbi Chong have grown incredibly. Robbi, especially,
is the most improved actor and Martin just finished a show that's extraordinary
work.

"They're the junior
players as the episodes usually go. While they contribute emotionally,
Helen Shaver's character, Derek deLint's character seems to carry the
ball there. They're the most experienced actors. They've been doing
it not for five years but 20-30 years.

"Derek's excited
about it. They're all passionate about it. They know their characters
a lot more, are more professional. "